Sick Hypothetical (Design challenge)

[Cannonshop]

Design a Tracked vehicle that performs better in a mobile role, than it does as a bunker.

Here's the logic you're up against:

under Total Warfare Rules (including the expanded vehicle survival rules) Tracked tanks just work better when you put them in 'park' and use them as turrets/bunkers instead of as mobile assets.

so...optimize for mobility in a way that makes sense, and makes parking the less-valuable-option.  I don't care about Tech base, or era.  It needs to make sense to be using this vehicle in motion (as in, moving a LOT) than simply parking in the treez and lobbing.

Good luck, you're going to need it.

[Elmoth]

Mine removal.
Medevac.
Bridging equipment.
Sapper explosives, like the one the wermacht (spelling) used in ww2.

[Sabelkatten]

Any turret-less vehicle needs to keep moving unless the enemy is very cooperative. Same with a vehicle with only short-range weapons.

[Red Pins]

Tagged.

[Giovanni Blasini]

Hmm...

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Scorpion Speedster

Mass: 25 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 200 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 86.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 129.6 kph
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     1 Light PPC
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3145
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-X
Cost: 769,792 C-bills

Type: Scorpion
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 25
Battle Value: 470

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  2.5
Engine                        200 Fusion             13
Cruising MP: 8
Flank MP: 12
Heat Sinks:                   10                      0
Control Equipment:                                  1.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             0.5
Armor Factor (Ferro)          80                    4.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   3         20   
     R/L Side               3/3      14/14   
     Rear                    3         12   
     Turret                  3         20   


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
Light PPC              Turret       3.0     


You're an 8/12 tracked tank with a light PPC.  Speed is life.

[Giovanni Blasini]

Bit unorthodox, I know, but we've got an armored motive system here, which helps protect the vehicle from those nasty crits:

Code: [Select]

Myrmidon Medium Tank MK II

Mass: 50 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 250 XL
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 108 kph
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     1 MML 5
     1 PPC
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3150
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-E
Cost: 11,138,000 C-bills

Type: Myrmidon Medium Tank
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 50
Battle Value: 1,122

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                    5
Engine                        250 XL                 10
Cruising MP: 5
Flank MP: 8(10)
Heat Sinks:                   10                      0
Control Equipment:                                  2.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             1.0
Armor Factor (Ferro)          161                     9

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   5         40   
     R/L Side               5/5      28/28   
     Rear                    5         25   
     Turret                  5         40   


Weapons
and Ammo                Location    Tonnage   
MML 5 LRM Ammo (24)       Body        1.0     
CASE                      Body        0.5     
Supercharger              Body        1.0     
Armored Motive System     Body        7.5     
MML 5 SRM Ammo (20)       Body        1.0     
ECM Suite                 Body        1.5     
MML 5                    Turret       3.0     
PPC                      Turret       7.0     



[Andras]

Stock Hunter?

Fixed forward LRM. You better keep it moving.

[kindalas]

24 tons two Thunderbolt 5 launchers with 12 shots each.

Moves 7/11 with a Fuel Cell Engine to keep costs reasonable.

The preferred engagement style is as a support for light mechs that can spot for indirect fire attacks from the Thunderbolt launchers.

One in four models has a trio of LRM 5s in place of the Thunderbolt launchers but they keep the deep ammunition reserves of the base model to allow for alternate mutations like Smoke or Thunder rounds.

The vehicle has the extremely popular CASE system to protect the crew and it is named after a past AD&D character of the designer.

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Rexus Support Tank

Mass: 24 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 170 Fuel Cell
Cruising Speed: 75.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 118.8 kph
Armor: Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     2 Thunderbolt 5

Cost: 719,696 C-bills

Type: Rexus Support Tank
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 24
Battle Value: 546

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  2.5
Engine                        170 Fuel Cell         7.5
Cruising MP: 7
Flank MP: 11
Heat Sinks:                   1                       0
Control Equipment:                                  1.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Armor Factor (Heavy Ferro)    79                      4

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   3         24   
     R/L Side               3/3      20/20   
     Rear                    3         15   


Weapons
and Ammo                  Location    Tonnage   
2 Thunderbolt 5s           Front        6.0     
CASE                        Body        0.5     
Thunderbolt 5 Ammo (24)     Body        2.0     



[acksed]

TAG, you're it!

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Onigokko

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E-A
Production Year: 0
Cost: 1,363,050 C-Bills
Battle Value: 556

Power Plant:  245 Fuel Cell Engine
Cruise Speed: 75.6 km/h
Flanking Speed: 118.8 km/h
Armor:  Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1  Narc Launcher
    1  TAG
    1 Unknown CASE
Manufacturer:
    Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      20 points                3.50
Engine:             Fuel-Cell Engine             245                      14.50
    Cruise MP:  7
    Flank MP:   11
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             1                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Turret:                                                                    0.50
Armor:              Heavy Ferro-Fibrous          AV - 138                  7.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     34       
                                          Left/Right   27/27       
                                              Turret     28       
                                                Rear     22       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narc Launcher                                T         0         1         3.00
TAG                                          T         0         1         1.00
CASE                                         BD        -         1         0.50
@Narc (Explosive) (6)                        BD        -         0         1.00
@Narc (Homing) (12)                          BD        -         0         2.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      5    Points: 6
7t         0       0       0       0      1     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: SNARC, TAG, CASE, EE, TUR()Pure support vehicle so honourable samurai can make of the hits better. They were even kind enough to add a token self-defence loadout. CASE is so they can preserve the TAG.

[Atarlost]

Well, one thing you can't do without moving is transport infantry.  Making this work at a size and speed I was aiming for put the price so high it seemed like I may as well bump it up to Clantech, leading to the perhaps slightly optimistically named Most Terrain Armored Transport, which serves to carry a point of elementals in well protected discomfort and support them with a reasonably nasty gun that even the sort of washed out barely warrior who gets tasked as a taxi driver can hit with. 

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Most Terrain Armored Transport

Mass: 40 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 280 XL
Cruising Speed: 75.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 118.8 kph
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     1 Large Pulse Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3145
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-D
Cost: 4,853,333 C-bills

Type: Most Terrain Battle Armor Taxi
Technology Base: Clan (Experimental)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 40
Battle Value: 1,115

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                    4
Engine                        280 XL                 12
Cruising MP: 7
Flank MP: 11
Heat Sinks:                   10                      0
Control Equipment:                                  2.0
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             1.0
Armor Factor (Ferro)          180                   9.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   4         54   
     R/L Side               4/4      45/45   
     Rear                    4         36   
     Turret                  4         0     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
Trailer Hitch           Rear        0.0     
Large Pulse Laser      Turret       6.0     
Light Active Probe      Body        0.5     
Infantry                Body        5.0     



[idea weenie]

That MT-AT is one turret hit away from being unarmed, since it has zero armor on the turret   

Code: [Select]

Most Terrain Armored Transport
Armor Factor (Ferro)          180                   9.5
                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   4         54   
     R/L Side               4/4      45/45   
     Rear                    4         36   
     Turret                  4         0     


[Atarlost]

That's because it went through a turretless Inner Sphere iteration before I questioned the Inner Sphere being willing to put an XL engine on an armored hauler for their lackluster battle armor and wound up with way more free tonnage than I expected as clantech.  There's plenty of armor mass to go around, it just didn't redistribute like I expected when I re-added the turret. 

[kaliban]

For point defense, I prefer motorized infantry with field guns or artillery. You can even place them inside buildings.

If speed is required, tracked tanks are not good and I go with VTOLs.

There is a middle ground for slow heavy tanks (3/5 movement) like the Zhukov because they are cheap and carry a lot of firepower compared to a similar weight Battlemech. But I agree that they are more effective parked in a light wood hex than in movement.

The other day I have posted a 34ton crossover between the Scorpion and the Vedette For the purpose of the topic it works better if you keep it moving (with +2/+3 defense bonus) then on a static position (unless you dug in the tank). It should also keep a 4-6 hex distance for the target to avoid short range weapons. Moving the tank also give you the opportunity to maneuver and fire on the rear location of the target (very likely against Heavy and Assault mechs, if you attack in good numbers).


https://bg.battletech.com/forums/combat-vehicles/scorpionvedette-crossover/